Radio frequency signal booster

ABSTRACT

An integrated signal booster system provides cellular and wireless local area network (WLAN) access within a single device. The integrated signal booster system includes at least one antenna integrated configured to receive a cellular uplink signal from user equipment (UE) of a cellular network and to transmit a boosted cellular downlink signal to the UE, signal booster circuitry configured to receive a cellular downlink signal from a cable and to send a boosted cellular uplink signal over the cable, and WLAN access point (AP) circuitry configured to control wireless communications with one or more wireless clients of a WLAN network. The signal booster circuitry is configured to generate the boosted cellular downlink signal based at least in part on amplifying the cellular downlink signal, and to generate the boosted cellular uplink signal based at least in part on amplifying the cellular uplink signal.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/383,238, which was filed on Sep. 2, 2016 and is titled “RADIOFREQUENCY SIGNAL BOOSTER,” U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/425,833,which was filed on Nov. 23, 2016 and is titled “RADIO FREQUENCY SIGNALBOOSTER,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/523,020, which wasfiled on Jun. 21, 2017 and is titled “RADIO FREQUENCY SIGNAL BOOSTER,”the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference hereinin their entirety for all purposes. Any and all applications, if any,for which a foreign or domestic priority claim is identified in theApplication Data Sheet of the present application are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties under 37 CFR 1.57.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to electronic systems and,in particular, to radio frequency (RF) signal boosters.

BACKGROUND

A cellular network includes base stations for wirelessly communicatingwith mobile devices located within the network's cells. For example,base stations can transmit signals to mobile devices via a downlink (DL)channel and receive signals from the mobile devices via an uplink (UL)channel. In the case of a cellular network operating using frequencydivision duplexing (FDD), the downlink and uplink channels are separatedin the frequency domain such that the frequency band operates using apair of frequency channels.

A mobile device may be unable to communicate with any base stations whenlocated in a portion of the cellular network having poor or weak signalstrength. For example, the mobile device may be unable to communicatewith a particular base station when the mobile device is separated fromthe base station by a large distance. Additionally, structures such asbuildings or mountains can interfere with the transmission and/orreception of signals sent between a mobile device and a base station.

To improve a network's signal strength and/or coverage, a radiofrequency (RF) signal booster can be used to amplify signals in thecellular network. For example, the signal booster can be used to amplifyor boost signals having frequencies associated with the frequency rangesof the cellular network's uplink and downlink channels.

SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS

The systems, methods and devices of this disclosure each have severalinnovative aspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for theall of the desirable attributes disclosed herein. Details of one or moreimplementations of the subject matter described in this specificationare set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to an integrated signalbooster system for providing cellular and wireless local area network(WLAN) access. The integrated signal booster system may include ahousing and at least one antenna integrated with or within the housing.The at least one antenna may be configured to receive a cellular uplinksignal from user equipment (UE) of a cellular network and to transmit aboosted cellular downlink signal to the UE. Further, the system mayinclude signal booster circuitry within the housing. This signal boostercircuitry may be configured to receive a cellular downlink signal from acable and send a boosted cellular uplink signal over the cable.Moreover, the signal booster circuitry may be configured to generate theboosted cellular downlink signal based on amplifying the cellulardownlink signal and to generate the boosted cellular uplink signal basedon amplifying the cellular uplink signal. In addition, the system mayinclude WLAN access point (AP) circuitry within the housing. The WLAN APcircuitry may be configured to control wireless communications with oneor more wireless clients of a WLAN network.

In certain embodiments, the system further includes a router within thehousing and in communication with the WLAN AP circuitry. In someembodiments, the WLAN AP circuitry comprises a data exchange circuit, apower amplifier, a low noise amplifier, and a switch. Moreover, thesignal booster circuitry may comprise a downlink amplification circuitconfigured to generate the boosted cellular downlink signal based onamplifying one or more downlink channels of the cellular downlink signaland an uplink amplification circuit configured to generate the boostedcellular uplink signal based on amplifying one or more uplink channelsof the cellular uplink signal. Further, the WLAN AP circuitry may beconfigured to control communication of Wi-Fi signals.

In some embodiments, the housing includes an interface configured toconnect to an external cellular modem. The WLAN AP circuitry may beoperable to receive an Internet connection via the external cellularmodem. Further, the system may include an integrated cellular modemwithin the housing. The WLAN AP circuitry may be operable to receive anInternet connection via the integrated cellular modem. In some cases,the at least one antenna is further configured to transmit a WLAN signaland to receive a WLAN signal. Moreover, the system may further include acombiner within the housing. The combiner may be operable to combine acellular signal and a WLAN signal. Further, the WLAN AP circuitry may beoperable over two or more WLAN frequency bands. The two or more WLANfrequency bands may comprise low band Wi-Fi and high band Wi-Fi.

In some implementations, the at least one antenna comprises at least onecellular antenna and at least one WLAN antenna. The at least one WLANantenna may be operable to transmit a WLAN transmit signal and toreceive a WLAN receive signal. Moreover, the at least one WLAN antennamay comprise two or more WLAN antennas operable to providemultiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) communications. Further, thesystem can include a shielding structure positioned between the WLAN APcircuitry and the at least one antenna. The at least one antenna mayinclude at least one cellular antenna within the housing and at leastone WLAN antenna within the housing. The at least one cellular antennamay be positioned between the shielding structure and the at least oneWLAN antenna. In some cases, the shielding structure is configured tooperate as a heat sink.

Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to a radio frequencysignal booster. The radio frequency signal booster may include a housingand a base station antenna port having a first axis along which signalsare primarily conducted. The base station antenna port may be configuredto be connected to a base station antenna configured to receive wirelesscommunications signals on one or more downlink channels and to transmitwireless communications signals on one or more uplink channels. Inaddition, the radio frequency signal booster may include a mobilestation antenna integrated with or located within the housing. Themobile station antenna may have a second axis in which signals areprimarily radiated. This second axis may differ from the first axis. Themobile station antenna may be configured to transmit wirelesscommunication signals on one or more downlink channels. Moreover, theradio frequency signal booster may include an amplifier unit within thehousing. The amplifier unit may include a downlink amplifier configuredto amplify first signals on downlink channels for transmission throughthe mobile station antenna. The first signals may be received at thebase station antenna port. Further, the amplifier unit may include anuplink amplifier configured to amplify second signals on uplink channelsfor transmission through the base station antenna port. The secondsignals may be received at the mobile station antenna.

In certain embodiments, the first axis is at an angle to the second axisthat is not a multiple of 90 degrees. Further, the radio frequencysignal booster may include a composite cable configured to be connectedto the base station antenna port. The composite cable may include adirect current power line and a radio frequency cable. The amplifierunit may be connected to a power adapter via the composite cable. Inaddition, the amplifier unit may be oriented along a first planarsubstrate and the second axis may be parallel to the first planarsubstrate.

In some embodiments, the radio frequency signal booster includes a heatsink configured to at least partially isolate radio signals between themobile station antenna and the amplifier unit. In some implementations,the mobile station antenna includes an omnidirectional antenna. Theomnidirectional antenna may be configured to radiate primarily along aplane parallel to the first planar substrate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Throughout the drawings, reference numbers are re-used to indicatecorrespondence between referenced elements. The drawings are provided toillustrate embodiments of the subject matter described herein and not tolimit the scope thereof.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a mobile network, according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the mobile network according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of the mobile network according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of the mobile network according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 1E is a schematic diagram of the mobile network according tocertain embodiments.

FIG. 1F is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 1G is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 1H is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a portion of afrequency spectrum.

FIG. 2B is schematic diagram of the frequency spectrum of FIG. 2A withannotations showing frequency locations of band pass filter pass bandsaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster for uplink anddownlink channels for two bands according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster for uplink anddownlink channels for five bands according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 5A is a front view of a desktop signal booster according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 5B is a right-side view of the desktop signal booster of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is a left-side view of the desktop signal booster of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5D is a top view of the desktop signal booster of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5E is a bottom view of the desktop signal booster FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the desktop signal booster of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 7A is an interior front view of the desktop signal booster of FIG.5A.

FIG. 7B is an interior rear view of the desktop signal booster of FIG.5A.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example configuration of the desktop signalbooster of FIG. 5A, according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to certain embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster,according to certain embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a perspective of a desktop signal booster with a coverremoved, according to certain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Various implementations of systems, methods and devices within the scopeof the appended claims each have several aspects, no single one of whichis solely responsible for the desirable attributes described herein.Without limiting the scope of the appended claims, some prominentfeatures are described herein.

Various aspects of the novel systems, apparatus, and methods aredescribed more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structureor function presented throughout this disclosure. Rather, these aspectsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in theart. Based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art shouldappreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover anyaspect of the novel systems, apparatus, and methods disclosed herein,whether implemented independently of, or combined with, any other aspectof the invention. For example, an apparatus can be implemented or amethod can be practiced using any number of the aspects set forthherein. In addition, the scope of the invention is intended to coversuch an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure,functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or otherthan the various aspects of the invention set forth herein. It should beunderstood that any aspect disclosed herein can be embodied by one ormore elements of a claim.

Although particular aspects are described herein, many variations andpermutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure.Although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects arementioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited toparticular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects of thedisclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to different wirelesstechnologies, system configurations, networks, and transmissionprotocols, some of which are illustrated by way of example in thefigures and in the following description of the preferred aspects. Thedetailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of thedisclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure beingdefined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Details of one or more implementations of the subject matter describedin this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and thedescription below. Other features, aspects, and advantages will becomeapparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims. Note thatthe relative dimensions of the following figures may not be drawn toscale.

One aspect of the disclosure provides a desktop signal boosterconfigured to be placed on a desktop, or other surface. Alternatively,or in addition, the signal booster may be attached to a portion of abuilding or building structure. For example, the signal booster may beattached to a wall or a ceiling. The booster can include a housing, anamplifier unit, an indoor antenna, and a cable. The amplifier unit andthe indoor antenna can be integrated in the housing or can be relativelyclose together (for example, within a threshold distance of each other,such as within 50 cm, 25 cm, or less than 10 cm of each other). Therelative angle of the position of the amplifier unit and the indoorantenna can be non-zero. For example, the relative angles of theamplifier unit and the indoor antenna can be more than a threshold (Δθ)amount from a multiple of 90 degrees. Thus, the relative angle betweenthe amplifier unit and the indoor antenna can be outside the ranges: −Δθto Δθ, 90°−Δθ to 90°+Δθ, 180°−Δθ to 180°+Δθ, and 270°−Δθ to 270°+Δθ. Insome embodiments, the relative angle between the amplifier unit and theindoor antenna can be substantially 45 degrees, such as within Δθ of amultiple of 90 degrees, plus 45 degrees. Thus, the relative anglebetween the amplifier unit and the indoor antenna can be within theranges: 45°−Δθ to 45°+Δθ, 135°−Δθ to 135°+Δθ, 225°−Δθ to 225°+Δθ, and315°−Δθ to 315°+Δθ. In various embodiments, Δθ can include any factionof multiple of a degree. For example, Δθ can be 0.5 degrees, 1 degree, 2degrees, 5 degrees, 10 degrees, and so on. In some embodiments, thecable connecting the booster with the outdoor antenna can be much longerthan the distance between the amplifier unit and the indoor antenna. Forexample, the cable can be 10×, 20×, or 100× the distance between theamplifier unit and the indoor antenna. In various embodiments, the cablecan be over 10 feet long, over 25 feet long, over 50 feet long, over 100feet long, and so on. The cable can be a composite cable comprising adirect current (DC) line and an RF cable. The amplifier unit can beconnected to a power adapter via the composite cable, and connected toan outside antenna receiving signals from the base station via thecomposite cable. The desktop signal booster can further include a heatsink located between the amplifier unit and the indoor antenna. The heatsink can isolate or attenuate the signal from the indoor antenna to theamplifier unit.

Another aspect of the disclosure provides a signal booster including aseparate amplifier unit and an integrated unit, which can be placed onthe desktop, or other surface. The desktop integrated unit can include ahousing, a Wi-Fi router, an indoor antenna, and a cable. The Wi-Firouter and the indoor antenna can be integrated in the housing orrelatively close together. The integrated unit can be connected to theseparate amplifier unit via the cable. The cable can be a compositecable comprising a DC line and an RF cable. The Wi-Fi router can beconnected to a power adapter via the composite cable. The indoor antennacan include a broadband antenna having a frequency band range includingone or more cellular communication frequency bands and Wi-Fi frequencybands. The Wi-Fi router can support 3G data communication, 4G datacommunication, 5G data communication, or any combination thereof, amongother cellular communication technologies. The integrated unit canremotely feed power for the separate amplifier unit via the cable.

Another aspect of the disclosure relates to an integrated signal boostersystem for providing cellular and wireless local area network (WLAN)access. The integrated signal booster system includes a housing, atleast one antenna integrated with or within the housing and configuredto receive a cellular uplink signal from user equipment (UE) of acellular network and to transmit a boosted cellular downlink signal tothe UE, signal booster circuitry within the housing and configured toreceive a cellular downlink signal from a cable and to send a boostedcellular uplink signal over the cable, and WLAN access point (AP)circuitry within the housing and configured to control wirelesscommunications with one or more wireless clients of a WLAN network. Thesignal booster circuitry is configured to generate the boosted cellulardownlink signal based on amplifying the cellular downlink signal, and togenerate the boosted cellular uplink signal based on amplifying thecellular uplink signal.

One type of wireless network is a cellular network, in which basestations wirelessly communicate with user equipment (UE) located withinthe network's cells. The base stations transmit signals to UE viadownlink channels of cellular frequency bands and receive signals fromthe UE via uplink channels of the cellular frequency bands.

Examples of cellular frequency bands include, but are not limited to,Band II, Band IV, Band V, Band XII, and/or Band XIII. For instance,mobile devices in a cellular network can operate using Advanced WirelessServices (AWS) (Band IV), Personal Communication Services (PCS) (BandII), Cellular services (Band V), and/or bands associated with Long TermEvolution (LTE), for instance, Band XII, Band XIII, and various otherLTE bands. Furthermore, the teachings herein are also applicable tocommunications using carrier aggregation, including those associatedwith 4.5G, 5G technologies, and other emerging mobile communicationtechnologies.

Although specific examples of cellular frequency bands and communicationtechnologies have been described above, the teachings herein areapplicable to a wide range of frequency bands and communicationsstandards, including, but not limited to frequency bands associated with3G (including 3.5G), 4G (including 4.5G), and 5G technologies asspecified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

A wide variety of types of UE can connect to a cellular network. Forexample, UE can include mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablets,laptops, and/or wearable electronics. UE can also include certainstationary devices, such as customer premises equipment (CPE).

Another type of wireless network is a wireless local area network(WLAN), which allows wireless clients to wirelessly connect to a localarea network. WLANs can operate using various wireless communicationtechniques, such as spread-spectrum or orthogonal frequency-divisionalmultiplexing (OFDM). Additionally, WLANs can provide a connectionthrough an access point to the wider internet, thereby allowing clientsto move within a local coverage area while maintaining an internetconnection.

One example of WLANs is Wi-Fi networks as specified by the Institute ofElectrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wirelesscommunication standards. Examples of Wi-Fi frequency bands include lowband Wi-Fi in the 2.4 GHz frequency block and high band Wi-Fi in the 5GHz frequency block.

A wide variety of types of wireless clients can connect to WLANs. Forinstance, wireless clients can include certain types of cellular UE thatis also WLAN enabled, such as certain mobile phones, tablets, laptops,and/or wearable electronics. Wireless clients can also include othertypes of WLAN enabled devices, such as desktops, workstations, and/orsmart electronics (for instance, consumer electronics, such astelevisions).

WLAN networks include access points (APs) that serve to transmit andreceive WLAN signals to thereby communicate with wireless clients. Forexample, an AP of a Wi-Fi network allows Wi-Fi enabled devices towirelessly connect to a wired network.

An AP connected to a wired network and a set of wireless clients can bereferred to as a basic service set (BSS). A BSS has an identifier orBSSID, which can correspond to the media access control (MAC) address ofthe AP that services the BSS. One type of Wi-Fi BSS is an infrastructureBSS, in which the AP serves as a central hub for communicating with thewireless clients of the BSS. A distribution system (DS) connects two ormore APs in an extended service set (ESS). A DS can be wired or wirelessand can serve to provide secure roaming for wireless clients.

APs can operate using a variety of encryption or security mechanisms,including, but not limited to, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP), Wi-FiProtected Access (WPA, WPA2), and/or other protocols. Certain APs offerWi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) to facilitate adding new wireless clients toan encrypted network.

Certain signal booster systems described herein provide signal boostingfor cellular networks, thereby providing extending coverage to UE of thecellular network. Furthermore, various embodiments herein provide notonly signal boosting for cellular networks, but also serve as an accesspoint for a WLAN network, such as a Wi-Fi network.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a mobile network 10, according to oneembodiment. The mobile network 10 includes a base station 1, mobiledevices 3 a-3 c, and a signal booster system 7 a that includes a basestation antenna 5 a, a base station antenna cable 6 a, a signal booster2 a, a mobile station antenna cable 6 b, and a mobile station antenna 5b.

Although the mobile network 10 illustrates an example with three mobiledevices and one base station, the mobile network 10 can include basestations and/or mobile devices of other numbers and/or types. Forinstance, mobile devices can include mobile phones, tablets, laptops,wearable electronics (for instance, smart watches or smart glasses),and/or other types of user equipment (UE) suitable for use in a wirelesscommunication network.

The signal booster 2 a can retransmit signals to and receive signalsfrom the base station 1 using the base station antenna 5 a, and canretransmit signals to and receive signals from the mobile devices 3 a-3c using the mobile station antenna 5 b. For example, the signal booster2 a can retransmit signals to the base station 1 over one or more uplinkchannels, and can receive signals from the base station 1 over one ormore downlink channels. Additionally, the signal booster 2 a canretransmit signals to the mobiles devices 3 a-3 c over one or moredownlink channels, and can receive signals from the devices over one ormore uplink channels.

In the example shown in FIG. 1A, the signal booster 2 a is electricallycoupled to the base station antenna 5 a via the base station antennacable 6 a and to the mobile station antenna 5 b via the mobile stationantenna cable 6 b. Various embodiments include the mobile stationantenna 5 b and mobile station antenna cable 6 b integrated with orwithin a housing of the signal booster 2 b.

In certain implementations, the base station antenna 5 a is an outdoorantenna positioned or directed external to a structure, such as abuilding, and the mobile station antenna 5 b is an indoor antennapositioned and configured to communicate with devices within thestructure.

Although FIG. 1A illustrates the signal booster 2 a as communicatingwith one base station 1, the signal booster 2 a can communicate withmultiple base stations. For example, the signal booster 2 a can be usedto communicate with base stations associated with different cells of anetwork and/or with base stations associated with different networks,such as networks associated with different wireless carriers and/orfrequency bands.

In certain implementations, the mobile devices 3 a-3 c can communicateat least in part over multiple frequency bands, including one or morecellular bands such as, Band II, Band IV, Band V, Band XII, and/or BandXIII. For instance, in one example, the first mobile device 3 a canoperate using Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) (Band IV), the secondmobile device 3 b can operate using Personal Communication Services(PCS) (Band II), and the third mobile device 3 c can operate usingCellular (for example, 800 MHz in the United States) services (Band V).Furthermore, in certain configurations, all or a subset of the mobiledevices 3 a-3 c can communicate using Long Term Evolution (LTE), and maytransmit and receive Band XII signals, Band XIII signals, and/or othersignals associated with LTE.

Although specific examples of frequency bands and communicationtechnologies have been described above, the teachings herein areapplicable to a wide range of frequency bands and communicationsstandards. For example, signal boosters can be used to boost a widevariety of bands, including, but not limited to, 3G bands, 4G bands, 5Gbands, Wi-Fi bands (for example, according to Institute of Electricaland Electronics Engineers 802.11 wireless communication standards),and/or digital television bands (for example, according to Digital VideoBroadcasting, Advanced Television System Committee, Integrated ServicesDigital Broadcasting, Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcasting, andDigital Multimedia Broadcasting standards).

Accordingly, the signal booster 2 a can be configured to boost signalsassociated with multiple frequency bands so as to improve networkreception for each of the mobile devices 3 a-3 c. Configuring the signalbooster 2 a to service multiple frequency bands can improve networksignal strength for multiple devices. For example, the signal booster 2a can improve network signal strength of devices using the same ordifferent frequency bands, the same or different wireless carriers,and/or the same or different wireless technologies. Configuring thesignal booster 2 a as a multi band booster can avoid the cost ofseparate signal boosters for each specific frequency band and/orwireless carrier. Additionally, configuring the signal booster 2 a as amulti band booster can also ease installation, reduce cabling, and/orissues associated with combining multiple boosters.

The plurality of mobile devices 3 a-3 c can represent a wide range ofmobile or portable communication devices, including, for example, multiband mobile phones. The network device 4 can represent a wide range ofother devices configured to communicate over one or more mobilenetworks, including, for example, computers, televisions, modems,routers, or other electronics. In certain embodiments, the networkdevice 4 is another signal booster. Although FIG. 1A illustrates thesignal booster 2 a as communicating with three mobile devices 3 a-3 cand one network device 4, the signal booster 2 a can be used tocommunicate with more or fewer mobile devices and/or more or fewernetwork devices.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the base station antenna 5 a is connected to thesignal booster 2 a by an RF cable 6 a. For example, the base stationantenna 5 a can be mounted on the roof of a building or another locationproviding a relatively high signal strength to the base station 1. Insome embodiments, the signal booster 2 a can be located in an electricalcloset inside a building. The signal booster 2 a can be connected to themobile station antenna 5 b by an RF cable 6 b. The mobile stationantenna 5 b can be mounted within an occupied space of the building (forexample, on an interior wall, table, or ceiling). Accordingly, there arefive components to the illustrated booster system 7 a: the first or basestation antenna 5 a, the RF cable 6 a, the signal booster 2 a, the RFcable 6 b, and the second or mobile station antenna 5 b. In someembodiments, for example as discussed below with respect to FIG. 1B, thebooster system 7 a can integrate the base station antenna 5 a and the RFcable 6 a with or into the signal booster 2 a.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the mobile network 10, according toanother embodiment. The mobile network 10 includes the base station 1,the mobile devices 3 a-3 c (three shown), the network device 4, and asignal booster system 7 b. The signal booster system 7 b includes a basestation antenna 5 a, an RF cable 6 a, and an integrated signal booster 2b.

The integrated signal booster 2 b includes a housing with a signalbooster circuit or signal booster circuitry 8 therein. The integratedsignal booster 2 b further includes a mobile station antenna 5 b whichis integrated with or within the housing.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the integrated signal booster 2 b is connected tothe base station antenna 4 a over the RF cable 6 a. The base stationantenna 5 a can be positioned for advantageous line-of-sight, signalstrength, and/or directional gain with respect to one or more basestations 1. In one example, the base station antenna 5 a is adirectional antenna configured to primarily radiate out a window, orother signal permeable portion, of a building. In another example, thebase station antenna 5 a is an omnidirectional rooftop antenna. Althoughtwo examples of base station antennas have been described, otherimplementations of base station antennas can be used in accordance withthe teachings herein.

The integrated signal booster 2 b of FIG. 1B includes the mobile stationantenna 5 a. In certain implementations, the mobile station antenna 5 bis an omnidirectional or directional antenna configured to primarilyradiate within a building space. For example, the integrated signalbooster 2 b can be placed on a desktop or otherwise positioned indoorsfor communication with UE of a cellular network.

As with the signal booster 2 a discussed above with respect to FIG. 1A,the signal booster 2 b can retransmit signals to and receive signalsfrom the base station 1 using the base station antenna 5 a, and canretransmit signals to and receive signals from the plurality of mobiledevices 3 a-3 c and/or the network device 4 using the mobile stationantenna 5 b. In particular, the signal booster 2 b can be configured toreceive downlink signals from one or more base stations, on one or moredownlink channels, via the base station antenna 5 a. The signal booster2 b can be configured to retransmit the downlink signals to one or moremobile devices, over the one or more downlink channels, via the mobilestation antenna 5 b. Similarly, the signal booster 2 b can be configuredto receive signals from the devices, over one or more uplink channels,via the mobile station antenna 5 b. The signal booster 2 b can beconfigured to retransmit the uplink signals to one or more basestations, over the one or more uplink channels, via the base stationantenna 5 a.

Although FIG. 1B illustrates the signal booster 2 b communicating withone base station 1, the signal booster 2 b can communicate with multiplebase stations. For example, the signal booster 2 b can be used tocommunicate with base stations associated with different cells of anetwork. Furthermore, in certain implementations, the signal booster 2 bcan communicate with base stations associated with different networks,including, for example, networks associated with different wirelesscarriers and/or networks associated with different RF frequencies orbands (such as any of the bands discussed above with respect to FIG.1A).

FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of the mobile network 10, according toanother embodiment. The mobile network 10 includes the base station 1,mobile devices 3 a-3 c (three shown), the network device 4, and a signalbooster system 7 c. The signal booster system 7 c includes an integratedunit 2 c, an RF cable 6 b, a signal booster 2 a, an RF cable 6 a, and abase station antenna 5 a.

The integrated unit 2 c includes a mobile station antenna 5 b integratedwith or within the unit's housing. The mobile station antenna 5 b servesto transmit boosted cellular downlink signals from the signal booster 2a to UE of a cellular network, and provides the signal booster 2 a withcellular uplink signals received from the UE. The integrated unit 2 cfurther includes a WLAN access point 11, which serves to providewireless clients with access to a WLAN network. For instance, the WLANaccess point 11 can include a router that receives an Internetconnection, and provides Internet access to the wireless clients. Thus,in various embodiments the WLAN access point 11 can include one or moreof a router, cellular data modem, internet port, and so forth.

Accordingly, the illustrated embodiment includes the integrated unit 2 cfor serving to provide both cellular network access and WLAN access.

FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of the mobile network 10, according toanother embodiment. The mobile network 10 includes the base station 1,mobile devices 3 a-3 c (three shown), the network device 4, and a signalbooster system 7 d. The signal booster system 7 d includes an integratedunit 2 c, an RF cable 6 b, and a signal booster 2 d.

The signal booster system 7 d of FIG. 1D is similar to the signalbooster system 7 c of FIG. 1C, except that the signal booster system 7 dillustrates an implementation in which the base station antenna 5 b isintegrated with or within the signal booster 2 d.

Integration of the base station antenna 5 a into the signal booster 2 dcan provide certain advantages, such as reduced signal attenuation overan internal RF cable 9 relative to the external RF cable 6 a of FIG. 1C.Furthermore, such integration can eliminate installation cost associatedwith routing the external RF cable 6 a through one or more floors and/orwalls of a building to, for instance, reach a roof. On the other hand,integration of the base station antenna 5 a into the signal booster 2 dcan also introduce certain unwanted effects. For example, integration ofthe base station antenna 5 a into the signal booster 2 d can increaseproximity of the base station antenna 5 a to the mobile station antenna5 b (for example, by locating both antennas 5 a and 5 b in the sameroom, on the same building floor, etc.), thereby creating unwantedfeedback and/or interference effects in some configurations.Furthermore, integration of the base station antenna 5 a into the signalbooster 2 d can result in noise of the signal booster circuitry reachingthe base station antenna 5 a.

Although FIG. 1D illustrates the signal booster 2 d communicating withone base station 1, the signal booster 2 d may communicate with multiplebase stations. For example, the signal booster 2 d can be used tocommunicate with base stations associated with different cells of anetwork. Furthermore, in certain implementations, the signal booster 2 dcan communicate with base stations associated with different networks,including, for example, networks associated with different wirelesscarriers and/or networks associated with different RF frequencies orbands (such as any of the bands discussed above with respect to FIG.1A). For example, the illustrated signal booster 2 d includes twoseparate uplink/downlink paths: one for cellular bands and one for usingPersonal Communication Services (PCS) bands.

FIG. 1E is a schematic diagram of the mobile network 10, according tocertain embodiments. The mobile network 10 includes the base station 1,mobile devices 3 a-3 c (three shown), the network device 4, and a signalbooster system 7 e. The signal booster system 7 e includes an integratedsignal booster 2 e, an RF cable 6 a, and a base station antenna 5 a.

The signal booster system 7 e of FIG. 1E is similar to the signalbooster system 7 c of FIG. 1C, except that the integrated signal booster2 e of FIG. 1E includes not only a WLAN access point 11 and anintegrated base station antenna 5 b, but also signal booster circuitry 8integrated therein. The integrated signal booster 2 e serves to provideboth cellular network access and WLAN access while providing cellularsignal boosting in a common housing. Furthermore, the integrated signalbooster 2 e is connected to the base station antenna 5 a via the RFcable 6 a, and thus robust isolation between the base station antenna 5a and the integrated mobile station antenna 5 b is maintained.

FIG. 1F is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to another embodiment. The integrated signal booster systemincludes a base station antenna 5 a, a cellular signal booster 2 a, anRF cable 6 a, an RF cable 6 b, and an integrated unit 2 f.

In the illustrated embodiment, the integrated unit 2 f includes anintegrated mobile station antenna 5 b. Additionally, the integrated unit2 f includes a router 12, such as a Wi-Fi router. The router 12 canconnect to the internet via one or both of a wired connection (forinstance, a WAN port) and a wireless connection (for instance, acellular data modem 13 operating using 3G, 4G (including LTE), and/or5G). The cellular data modem 13 can include its own antenna for cellulardata communication. The router 12 can transmit and receive a Wi-Fisignal or other WLAN signal via a combiner (for instance, a diplexer) incommunication with the mobile station antenna 5 b. In the illustratedembodiment, the integrated unit 2 f is separate from the externalcellular signal booster 2 a.

The router 12 is physically integrated with the mobile station antenna 5b without a long RF cable. Providing an integrated router can aid inproviding wireless clients with a high performance WLAN network,including at high frequencies, for instance, high band Wi-Fi in the 5GHz block. For example, high frequency WLAN signals, such as high bandWi-Fi signals, can suffer from a relatively large amount of loss whentravelling over a long cable.

The cellular data modem 13 provides Internet connectivity to theintegrated unit 2 f when the wired Internet connection is down orotherwise unavailable. For example, a USB broadband adapter or othercellular data modem 13 can be connected to the integrated unit 2 f whendesired by a user, for instance, by plugging the cellular data modem 13into a USB or other port. Although the cellular data modem 13 isillustrated in FIG. 1F as communicating using 3G/4G, a cellular datamodem can communicate using any suitable type of cellularcommunications, including, but not limited to, 3G (including 3.5G), 4G(including 4.5G and LTE), and/or 5G.

In certain implementations, the RF cable 6 b is also used to carry a DCsupply voltage for powering the cellular signal booster 2 a. In oneexample, a pair of separate cables are physically bundled together tocarry RF and DC power. In another example, the RF cable 6 b can beimplemented as a shared DC power and RF cable, for instance, a coaxialcable or other cable that includes a conductor carrying an RF voltagesuperimposed on a DC supply voltage. In such implementations, theintegrated unit 2 f can include circuitry for combining RF and DC whileproviding isolation and the signal booster can include circuitry forseparating DC versus RF while providing isolation. In suchimplementations, the signal booster's circuitry is powered using the DCsupply voltage received from the cable 6 b.

FIG. 1G is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to another embodiment. The integrated signal booster system ofFIG. 1G is similar to the integrated signal booster system of FIG. 1F,except that the integrated signal booster 2 g of FIG. 1G includes thecellular signal booster signal 2 a integrated therein.

Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, the desktop booster 2 g isintegrated with the cellular signal booster 2 a.

In another implementation, the RF cable 6 a is connected to the basestation antenna 5 a via an external signal booster for further boostingof signals, such that the external signal booster and the signal booster2 a operate in combination to provide a total amount of boosting.

FIG. 1H is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster systemaccording to another embodiment. The integrated signal booster system ofFIG. 1H is similar to the integrated signal booster system of FIG. 1G,except that the integrated signal booster 2 h of FIG. 1H includes thecellular data modem 13 integrated therein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cellular data modem 13 shares anantenna with the cellular signal booster 2 a via a combiner (forinstance, a diplexer). However, other configurations are possible, suchas implementations, with separate cellular and WLAN antennas, andimplementations with multiple cellular and/or WLAN antennas.

For example, in certain implementations, an integrated signal boostersupports dual band Wi-Fi and/or multiple spatial streams to providediversity. For example, a first pair of Wi-Fi antennas can operate totransmit and receive low band Wi-Fi data streams to provide low bandWi-Fi MIMO, while a second pair of Wi-Fi antennas can operate totransmit and receive high band Wi-Fi data streams to provide high bandWi-Fi MIMO.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of one example of a portion of afrequency spectrum 20. The frequency spectrum 20 includes a Band XIIuplink channel, a Band XII downlink channel, a Band XIII downlinkchannel, a Band XIII uplink channel, a Band V uplink channel, a Band Vdownlink channel, a Band IV uplink channel, a Band II uplink channel, aBand II downlink channel, and a Band IV downlink channel. The frequencyspectrum 20 of FIG. 2A illustrates one example of the frequency bandsthat a signal booster described herein can be used for. However, otherconfigurations are possible, such as implementations in which the signalbooster amplifies signals of more or fewer frequency bands and/or adifferent combination of frequency bands.

In certain implementations, the Band XII uplink channel can have afrequency range of about 698 MHz to about 716 MHz, and the Band XIIdownlink channel can have a frequency range of about 728 MHz to about746 MHz. Additionally, in certain implementations the Band XIII uplinkchannel can have a frequency range of about 776 MHz to about 787 MHz,and the Band XIII downlink channel can have a frequency range of about746 MHz to about 757 MHz. Furthermore, in certain implementations theBand V uplink channel can have a frequency range of about 824 MHz toabout 849 MHz, and the Band V downlink channel can have a frequencyrange of about 869 MHz to about 894 MHz. Additionally, in certainimplementations the Band IV uplink channel can have a frequency range ofabout 1710 MHz to about 1755 MHz, and the Band IV downlink channel canhave a frequency range of about 2110 MHz to about 2155 MHz. Furthermore,in certain implementations the Band II uplink channel can have afrequency range of about 1850 MHz to about 1910 MHz, and the Band IIdownlink channel can have a frequency range of about 1930 MHz to about1990 MHz.

Although specific frequency ranges have been provided above, persons ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the frequencies of thebands can vary by geographical region and/or can change over time basedon regulations set by governing agencies such as the FederalCommunications Commission (FCC) or the Industry Canada (IC) or CanadianRadio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). Additionally,the teachings herein are applicable to configurations in which a signalbooster provides amplification to signals of a portion of the sub bandsassociated with one or more frequency bands. For example, certainfrequency bands, including, for example, the PCS band, can be associatedwith a plurality of sub bands, and the teachings herein are applicableto configurations in which the signal booster operates to provideboosting for signals of only some of the sub bands.

Certain signal boosters can use a separate amplification path for eachchannel of each frequency band that the signal booster is used for. Forexample, each amplification path of the signal booster can include aband-pass filter having a passband for passing a particular uplink ordownlink channel signal while attenuating or blocking signals of otherfrequencies. Configuring the signal booster in this manner can aid inmaintaining the booster's compliance with communication standards and/orregulator rules, such as those limiting spurious and/or out-of-bandemissions.

The radio frequency spectrum has become increasingly crowded withsignals as mobile technologies have advanced and the demand for highspeed wireless communication has expanded. For example, there has beenan increase in a number and proximity of frequency bands that are beingutilized by mobile devices and networks.

The increased crowding of the radio frequency spectrum has constrainedthe design and development of signal boosters, particular multi-bandsignal boosters that provide boosting across multiple frequency bands,including, for example, adjacent frequency bands. For example, aband-pass filter used to select a particular uplink or downlink channelfor boosting can have a non-ideal passband associated with roll-off nearthe passband's edges. The filter's roll-off can lead to an increase inundesired spurious and/or out of band emissions associated withamplification of signals outside of the particular channel's frequencyband. Although a particular uplink or downlink channel may be selectedby using a relatively sharp filter such as a cavity filter, such filterscan be prohibitive in cost and/or size.

Provided herein are apparatus and methods for RF signal boosters. Incertain implementations, a multi-band signal booster is provided forboosting the signals of the uplink and downlink channels of at least afirst frequency band and a second frequency band. The first and secondfrequency bands can be closely positioned in frequency, and the uplinkchannel of the first frequency band and the uplink channel of the secondfrequency band can be adjacent. Or, alternatively, the downlink channelof the first frequency band and the downlink channel of the secondfrequency band can be adjacent. For example, the duplex of the first andsecond frequency bands can be reversed such that the order in frequencyof the first frequency band's uplink and downlink channels is flipped orreversed relative to the second frequency band's uplink and downlinkchannels.

In certain configurations, the downlink channels of the first and secondchannels are adjacent, and the signal booster includes a firstamplification path for boosting the uplink channel signals of the firstfrequency band, a second amplification path for boosting the uplinkchannel signals of the second frequency band, and a third amplificationpath for boosting the downlink channel signals of the first and secondfrequency bands. For example, the first amplification path can include afirst band-pass filter for passing the first frequency band's uplinkchannel signals and for attenuating signals of other frequencies such asthe first frequency band's downlink channel signals, and the secondamplification path can include a second band-pass filter for passing thesecond frequency band's uplink channel signals and for attenuatingsignals of other frequencies such as the second frequency band'sdownlink channel signals. Additionally, the third amplification path caninclude a third band-pass filter for passing the downlink channelsignals of the first and second frequency bands and for attenuatingsignals of other frequencies such as the uplink channel signals of thefirst and second frequency bands. Thus, the signal booster can include ashared amplification path that operates to boost the signals on thedownlink channels of adjacent frequency bands.

However, in other configurations, the uplink channels of the first andsecond channels are adjacent, and the signal booster includes a firstamplification path for boosting the signals on the downlink channel ofthe first frequency band, a second amplification path for boosting thesignals on the downlink channel of the second frequency band, and athird amplification path for boosting the signals on the uplink channelsof the first and second frequency bands. In other arrangements, twoamplification paths can be employed for boosting the signals on bothuplink channels and both downlink channels of the first and secondfrequency bands.

The signal boosters described herein can be used to boost signals ofmultiple frequency bands, thereby improving signal strength for devicesusing different communications technologies and/or wireless carriers.Configuring the signal booster in this manner can avoid the cost ofmultiple signal boosters, such as having a specific signal booster foreach frequency band. Additionally, the signal boosters can have reducedcomponent count and/or size, since band pass filters, amplifiers,attenuators and/or other circuitry can be shared for at least twochannels. Furthermore, the signal boosters herein can be implementedwithout the cost of filters with relatively sharp passbands, such ascavity filters, which can have a high cost and/or occupy a large area.Thus, the signal boosters herein can be implemented using filters havinga relatively low cost and/or a relatively small size, such as surfaceacoustic wave (SAW) filters and/or ceramic filters.

FIG. 2B is schematic diagram of the frequency spectrum of FIG. 2A withannotations, represented by dashed lines, showing frequency locations ofband pass filter passbands according to one embodiment.

In the illustrated configuration, a first band-pass filter passband 31has been implemented to pass or select signals of a Band XII uplinkchannel, and a second band pass filter passband 32 has been implementedto pass signals of a Band XIII uplink channel. Furthermore, a thirdband-pass filter passband 33 has been implemented to pass signals ofboth a Band XII downlink channel and a Band XIII downlink channel.Additionally, a fourth band-pass filter passband 34 has been implementedto pass signals of a Band V uplink channel, and a fifth band-pass filterpassband 35 has been implemented to pass signals of a Band V downlinkchannel. Furthermore, a sixth band pass filter passband 36 has beenimplemented to pass signals of a Band IV uplink channel, and a seventhband-pass filter passband 37 has been implemented to pass signals of aBand II uplink channel. Additionally, an eighth band pass filterpassband 38 has been implemented to pass signals of a Band II downlinkchannel, and a ninth band pass filter passband 39 has been implementedto pass signals of a Band IV downlink channel. Although FIG. 2Billustrates a single passband for each frequency channel, a signalbooster can include a plurality of band pass filters that are cascaded,with or without intervening circuitry, to achieve an overall channelfiltering.

As used herein, a band-pass filter can “pass” a particular frequencychannel signal when the frequency channel is substantially within theband-pass filter's passband, even when the filter provides gain or lossin the passband. Accordingly, the teachings herein are not limited toband-pass filters having unity-gain passbands. Furthermore, in certainimplementations, a band pass filter herein can be implemented bycascading a low pass filter and a high pass filter. For example,cascading a high-pass filter having a cutoff frequency of f1 and a lowpass filter having a cutoff frequency of f2, where f2 is greater thanf1, can operate to provide a band pass filter having a passband betweenabout f1 and about f2.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the third band-pass filter passband 33advantageously passes the downlink channel signals of both Band XII andBand XIII, which are adjacent frequency bands. The illustratedconfiguration takes advantage of the reverse duplex of the Band XIIIfrequency band relative to that of the Band XII frequency band. Forexample, a typical frequency band, such as Band XIII, Band II, Band IV,and Band V, uses an uplink channel that is at a lower frequency than acorresponding downlink channel of the same band. However, Band XIII usesa reverse configuration in which the downlink channel is at a lowerfrequency relative to the uplink channel. Configuring a signal boosterto have a band-pass filter that passes both the Band XII and Band XIIIdownlink signals can avoid a need for sharp band pass filters forseparately filtering the signals of the downlink bands, which can bedifficult using relative small and/or low cost filters such as SAWfilters and/or ceramic filters, which can have a non-ideal passband andcan provide insufficient channel filtering or selectivity.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster 50 for uplink anddownlink channels for two bands according to one embodiment. The signalbooster 50 includes first and second multiplexers 55 a, 55 b, first tothird amplification paths or circuits 51-53, and a control circuit 54.In the illustrated configuration, the signal booster 50 is electricallycoupled to the base station and mobile station antennas, such as bycables. However, other configurations are possible, including, forexample, configurations in which one or both of the mobile station andbase station antennas are integrated with a signal booster, particularlyin view of the signal isolation between antennas as described herein.

The first multiplexer 55 a includes a first terminal electricallyconnected to an output of the first amplification path 51, a secondterminal electrically connected to an output of the second amplificationpath 52, a third terminal electrically connected to an input of thethird amplification path 53, and an antenna terminal electricallyconnected to the base station antenna 5 a. The second multiplexer 55 bincludes a first terminal electrically connected to an input of thefirst amplification path 51, a second terminal electrically connected toan input of the second amplification path 52, a third terminalelectrically connected to an output of the third amplification path 53,and an antenna terminal electrically connected to the mobile stationantenna 5 b.

The first amplification path 51 includes a first low noise amplifier(LNA) 61 a, a first band pass filter 62 a, a first attenuator 63 a, anda first power amplifier (PA) 64 a. The first LNA 61 a, the first bandpass filter 62 a, the first attenuator 63 a, and the first PA 64 a arecascaded with an input of the first LNA 61 a operating as the firstamplification path's input and with an output of the first PA 64 aoperating as the first amplification path's output. The secondamplification path 52 includes a second LNA 61 b, a second band passfilter 62 b, a second attenuator 63 b, and a second PA 64 b. The secondLNA 61 b, the second band-pass filter 62 b, the second attenuator 63 b,and the second PA 64 b are cascaded with an input of the second LNA 61 boperating as the second amplification path's input and with an output ofthe second PA 64 b operating as the second amplification path's output.The third amplification path 53 includes a third LNA 61 c, a third bandpass filter 62 c, a third attenuator 63 c, and a third PA 64 c. Thethird LNA 61 c, the third band-pass filter 62 c, the third attenuator 63c, and the third PA 64 c are cascaded with an input of the third LNA 61c operating as the third amplification path's input and with an outputof the third PA 64 c operating as the third amplification path's output.

In certain embodiments, the gain of each of the first to thirdamplification paths 51-53 is selected to be in the range of about 10 dBto about 90 dB. In other embodiments, the gain can be less than 10 dB ormore than 90 dB. In certain configurations, the gain of one or more ofthe first to third amplification paths 51-53 can be externallycontrolled, such as by using one or more switches and/or by usingdigital configuration. Although one example of gain values has beenprovided, other configurations are possible.

The first to third LNAs 61 a-61 c can provide low noise amplificationfor the first to third amplification paths 51-53, respectively. Incertain implementations, the first to third LNAs 61 a-61 c can be usedto amplify signals having a relatively small amplitude while adding orintroducing a relatively small amount of noise. For example, in certainembodiments, each of the LNAs 61 a-61 c has a noise figure of 1 dB orless. However, other configurations are possible.

The first to third band pass filters 62 a-62 c include inputselectrically coupled to outputs of the first to third LNAs 61 a-61 c,respectively. The first to third band pass filters 62 a-62 c can filterthe frequency content of the amplified signals generated by the first tothird LNAs 61 a-61 c, respectively. In certain embodiments, the first tothird band pass filters 62 a-62 c can be analog filters with fixedfiltering characteristics and/or low costs, such as ceramic or SAWfilters. However, other configurations are possible. Additional detailsof the first to third band pass filters 62 a-62 c will be describedfurther below.

The first to third attenuators 63 a-63 c can be used to attenuate thesignals filtered by the first to third band pass filters 62 a-62 c,respectively. The first to third attenuators 63 a-63 c can be used tolimit a gain of the first to third amplification paths 51-53,respectively. For example, it can be desirable to provide attenuation inone or more of the first to third amplification paths 51-53, such as inconfigurations in which one or more of the input signals to theamplification paths have a relatively large amplitude, which can occurwhen the signal booster 50 is positioned relatively close to a basestation. In certain embodiments, the attenuation of the first to thirdattenuators 63 a-63 c can be controlled using one or more processing orcontrol units. For example, one or more embedded CPUs can be used toprovide gain control, such as programmable gain control. In certainimplementations, the first to third attenuators 63 a-63 c can beimplemented using analog attenuation components. However, otherconfigurations are possible, such as implementations using digitalattenuators, such as digital step attenuators.

The first to third PAs 64 a-64 c can be used to amplify the signalsattenuated by the first to third attenuators 63 a-63 c, respectively.The first to third PAs 64 a-64 c can be used to provide amplified RFoutput signals that have a magnitude suitable for transmission via anantenna. The first to third PAs 64 a-64 c can be implemented usingsingle or multi-stage configurations. For example, multi-stageconfigurations can be implemented with automatic gain control (AGC).

The control circuit 54 can be used to control the operation of thecircuitry of the signal booster 50. For example, in certainimplementations, the control circuit 54 can be used to control the levelof attenuation of the first to third attenuators 63 a-63 c, an amount ofgain of the first to third PAs 64 a-64 c and/or the first to third LNAs61 a-61 c, and/or to provide other control operations in signal booster50. For clarity of the figures, connections and control signalsgenerated by the control circuit 54 have been omitted. Additionally,although not illustrated in FIG. 3, the signal booster 50 can includeadditional circuitry such as directional couplers, which can aid thecontrol circuit 54 in controlling output power levels of the first tothird amplification paths 51-53. Accordingly, in certain implementationsthe control circuit 54 can operate to provide automatic gain control(AGC). The control circuit 54 can also operate to provide otherfunctionalities, including, for example, automatic oscillation detectionand/or automatic shutdown to prevent interference with base stations.

The first and second multiplexers 55 a, 55 b can be used to providemultiplexing between the first to third amplification paths 51-53 andthe base station and mobile station antennas, respectively. For example,the first multiplexer 55 a can be used to combine the amplified outputsignals from the first and second amplification paths 51, 52 fortransmission via the base station antenna 5 a, and to filter a receivesignal received on the base station antenna 5 a to provide an inputsignal to the third amplification path 53. Additionally, the secondmultiplexer 55 b can be used to provide the amplified output signal fromthe third amplification path 53 to the mobile station antenna 5 b, andto filter a receive signal received on the mobile station antenna 5 b toprovide appropriate input signals to the first and second amplificationpaths 51, 52.

In certain implementations, the first multiplexer 55 a can include aband pass filter associated with one of the multiplexer's first to thirdterminals. Additionally, the second multiplexer 55 b can include a bandpass filter associated with one of the multiplexer's first to thirdterminals. The band-pass filter associated with a particular terminalcan be configured to pass frequencies corresponding to those of anassociated amplification path that is connected to the terminal. Forexample, in certain configurations, the band-pass filters of themultiplexers 55 a, 55 b have a passband similar to that of acorresponding one of the band-pass filters 62 a-62 c of theamplification paths 51-53. Furthermore, in certain implementations, oneor both of the first and second multiplexers 55 a, 55 b can be omitted.For example, in certain embodiments, the signal booster 50 omits thefirst and second multiplexers 55 a, 55 b in favor of using a separateantenna at the input and output of each of the amplification paths51-53.

The signal booster 50 can be used to boost the signals on the uplink anddownlink channels of first and second frequency bands that are adjacentor closely positioned in frequency, such as when adjacent frequencybands have a duplex that is reversed. For example, in certainembodiments, the signal booster 50 is used to boost the signals of BandXII and Band XIII, which are adjacent in frequency and have uplink anddownlink channels that are flipped or reversed in frequency such thatthe Band XII downlink channel and the Band XIII downlink channel arepositioned between the Band XII uplink channel and the Band XIII uplinkchannel. For example, the Band XII downlink channel can have a greaterfrequency than the Band XII uplink channel, and the Band XIII uplinkchannel can have a greater frequency than the Band XIII downlinkchannel.

Additionally, the signal booster 50 includes the first and secondamplification paths 51, 52, which can be used to amplify the signals onthe uplink channels of the first and second bands. Furthermore, thesignal booster 50 includes the third amplification path 53, whichoperates as a shared amplification path that boosts the signals on boththe downlink channel of the first frequency band and the downlinkchannel of the second frequency band. Thus, in contrast to aconventional signal booster that includes a separate amplification pathfor each frequency channel on which the signals are boosted, theillustrated configuration includes a shared amplification path foramplifying the signals on adjacent downlink channels, such as close orabutting downlink channels. In other embodiments, the thirdamplification path 53 can be split into two separate amplificationpaths: one for the downlink channel of the first frequency band andanother for the downlink channel of the second frequency band. In stillother embodiments, two shared amplification paths can be employed forboosting signals on both uplink channels and both downlink channels ofthe first and second frequency bands.

To provide suitable channel filtering, the first band-pass filter 62 acan pass the first frequency band's uplink channel signals and attenuatethe first frequency band's downlink channel signals. Additionally,second band-pass filter 62 b can pass the second frequency band's uplinkchannel and attenuate the second frequency band's downlink channel.Furthermore, the third band-pass filter 62 c can pass the downlinkchannels of both the first and second frequency bands and attenuate theuplink channels of both the first and second frequency bands. Thus, thethird amplification path 53 is shared between the downlink channels ofthe first and second frequency bands and operates to simultaneouslyboost or repeat the signals on the downlink channels. Since the thirdamplification path 53 boosts the signals on the downlink channels ofboth the first and second frequency bands, relatively sharp filters neednot be used to separately filter these channels. Thus, the first tothird band pass filters 62 a 62 c can be implemented using filtershaving a relatively low cost and/or a relatively small size, such assurface acoustic wave (SAW) and/or ceramic filters.

Although the signal booster 50 has been described in the context of asingle amplification path boosting multiple downlink channels, theteachings herein are applicable to configurations in which a singleamplification path is used to boost the signals on multiple uplinkchannels. For example, the teachings herein are applicable toconfigurations in which a shared amplification path is used to boost thesignals on the uplink channels of two frequency bands that are adjacent,such as when the duplex of the first and second frequency bands isreversed such that the bands' uplink channels are positioned between thebands' downlink channels.

In certain embodiments, the adjacent uplink channels or the adjacentdownlink channels of the first and second frequency bands are separatedin frequency by less than about 10 MHz. Furthermore, in certainimplementations, the adjacent uplink channels or the adjacent downlinkchannels of the first and second frequency bands are abutting, such thatthere is substantially no separation or gap (e.g., about 0 MHz) betweenthe channel frequencies.

Although one implementation of a signal booster is illustrated in FIG.3, other configurations are possible. For example, the signal boostercan include more or fewer amplifications paths. Additionally, one ormore of the amplification paths can be modified to include more or fewercomponents and/or a different arrangement of components. For example, incertain implementations, the order of a band-pass filter and anattenuator can be reversed in a cascade, the band pass filters can bepositioned before the LNAs in one or more of the cascades, and/oradditional components can be inserted in the cascade.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a signal booster 100 for uplink anddownlink channels for five bands according to certain embodiments. Thesignal booster 100 includes the control circuit 54, first to fourthmultiplexers 112 a-112 d, first and second diplexers 111 a, 111 b, andfirst to ninth amplification paths or circuits 101-109. The signalbooster 100 is electrically coupled to the base station antenna 5 a andto the mobile station antenna 5 b.

The first diplexer 111 a includes an antenna terminal electricallyconnected to the base station antenna 5 a, a first terminal electricallyconnected to an antenna terminal of the first multiplexer 112 a, and asecond terminal electrically connected to an antenna terminal of thethird multiplexer 112 c. The second diplexer 111 b includes an antennaterminal electrically connected to the mobile station antenna 5 b, afirst terminal electrically connected to an antenna terminal of thesecond multiplexer 112 b, and a second terminal electrically connectedto an antenna terminal of the fourth multiplexer 112 d.

The first multiplexer 112 a further includes a first terminalelectrically connected to an output of the first amplification path 101,a second terminal electrically connected to an output of the secondamplification path 102, a third terminal electrically connected to aninput of the third amplification path 103, a fourth terminalelectrically connected to an output of the fourth amplification path104, and a fifth terminal electrically connected to an input of thefifth amplification path 105. The second multiplexer 112 b furtherincludes a first terminal electrically connected to an input of thefirst amplification path 101, a second terminal electrically connectedto an input of the second amplification path 102, a third terminalelectrically connected to an output of the third amplification path 103,a fourth terminal electrically connected to an input of the fourthamplification path 104, and a fifth terminal electrically connected toan output of the fifth amplification path 105.

The third multiplexer 112 c includes a first terminal electricallyconnected to an input of the sixth amplification path 106, a secondterminal electrically connected to an output of the seventhamplification path 107, a third terminal electrically connected to aninput of the eighth amplification path 108, and a fourth terminalelectrically connected to an output of the ninth amplification path 109.The fourth multiplexer 112 d includes a first terminal electricallyconnected to an output of the sixth amplification path 106, a secondterminal electrically connected to an input of the seventh amplificationpath 107, a third terminal electrically connected to an output of theeighth amplification path 108, and a fourth terminal electricallyconnected to an input of the ninth amplification path 109.

In the illustrated configuration, the first amplification path 101 canprovide amplification gain to a Band XII uplink channel, and the secondamplification path 102 can provide amplification gain to a Band XIIIuplink channel. Furthermore, the third amplification path 103 canprovide amplification gain to both the Band XII and Band XIII downlinkchannels. Additionally, the fourth amplification path 104 can provideamplification gain to the Band V uplink channel, and the fifthamplification path 105 can provide amplification gain to the Band Vdownlink channel. Furthermore, the sixth amplification path 106 canprovide amplification gain to the Band IV downlink channel, and theseventh amplification path 107 can provide amplification gain to theBand IV uplink channel. Additionally, the eighth amplification path 108can provide amplification gain to the Band II downlink channel, and theninth amplification path 109 can provide amplification gain to the BandII uplink channel.

The first and second multiplexers 112 a, 112 b can provide multiplexingoperations for the first to fifth amplification paths 101-105. The firstand second multiplexers 112 a, 112 b can include a band pass filter foreach of the multiplexers' first to fifth terminals. The band passfilters can have passbands positioned at frequencies corresponding tothe uplink or downlink channels of an associated amplification path.Additionally, the third and fourth multiplexers 112 c, 112 d can providemultiplexing operations for the sixth to ninth amplification paths106-109. The third and fourth multiplexers 112 c, 112 d can include aband pass filter for each of the multiplexers' first to fourthterminals. The band pass filters can have passbands positioned atfrequencies corresponding to the uplink or downlink channels of anassociated amplification path.

The first diplexer 111 a can be used to combine/split signals from/tothe antenna terminals of the first and third multiplexers 112 a, 112 c,and can be used to combine/split signals to/from the base stationantenna 5 a. Additionally, the second diplexer 111 b can be used tocombine/split signals from/to the antenna terminals of the second andfourth multiplexers 112 b, 112 d, and can be used to combine/splitsignals to/from the mobile station antenna 5 b. Including the first andsecond diplexers 111 a, 111 b in the signal booster 100 can aid thesignal booster 100 in operating over disjoint frequency bands bycombining signals separated by a relatively large frequency difference.For example, in the illustrated configuration, the first diplexer 111 a,in combination with the multiplexer 112 a, may combine the Band XIIuplink, Band XIII uplink, and Band V uplink signals. As another example,the second diplexer 111 b, in combination with the multiplexer 112 b,may combine the Band XII and XIII downlink signal with the Band Vdownlink signal.

Each of the first to ninth amplification paths 101-109 can includedifferent combinations of components, such as amplifiers, attenuators,and band pass filters, selected to achieve an overall amplificationcharacteristic desirable for a particular band.

In the illustrated configuration, the first amplification path 101includes a cascade of an LNA 121 a, a first band pass filter 122 a, apower level control circuit 123 a, a first intermediate amplifier orgain circuit 124 a, a second band pass filter 125 a, an attenuator 126a, a second gain circuit 127 a, a third band pass filter 128 a, a thirdgain circuit 129 a, a fourth band pass filter 130 a, and a poweramplifier 132 a. Additionally, the second amplification path 102includes a cascade of an LNA 121 b, a first band pass filter 122 b, apower level control circuit 123 b, a first gain circuit 124 b, anattenuator 126 b, a second band pass filter 125 b, a second gain circuit127 b, a third band pass filter 128 b, a third gain circuit 129 b, afourth band pass filter 130 b, and a power amplifier 132 b. Furthermore,the third amplification path 103 includes a cascade of an LNA 121 c, apower level control circuit 123 c, a first band pass filter 122 c, afirst gain circuit 124 c, an attenuator 126 c, a second gain circuit 127c, a second band pass filter 125 c, a third gain circuit 129 c, a fourthgain circuit 131 c, a third band pass filter 128 c, and a poweramplifier 132 c. Additionally, the fourth amplification path 104includes a cascade of an LNA 121 d, a first band pass filter 122 d, apower level control circuit 123 d, a first gain circuit 124 d, a secondband pass filter 125 d, an attenuator 126 d, a second gain circuit 127d, a third band pass filter 128 d, a third gain circuit 129 d, and apower amplifier 132 d. Furthermore, the fifth amplification path 105includes a cascade of an LNA 121 e, a first band pass filter 122 e, apower level control circuit 123 e, a first gain circuit 124 e, a secondband pass filter 125 e, an attenuator 126 e, a second gain circuit 127e, a third band pass filter 128 e, a third gain circuit 129 e, and apower amplifier 132 e.

Additionally, in the illustrated configuration, the sixth amplificationpath 106 includes a cascade of an LNA 121 f, a first band pass filter122 f, a power level control circuit 123 f, a first gain circuit 124 f,a second band pass filter 125 f, an attenuator 126 f, a third band passfilter 128 f, a second gain circuit 127 f, a fourth band pass filter 130f, a third gain circuit 129 f, and a power amplifier 132 f. Furthermore,the seventh amplification path 107 includes a cascade of an LNA 121 g, afirst band pass filter 122 g, a power level control circuit 123 g, afirst gain circuit 124 g, a second band pass filter 125 g, an attenuator126 g, a second gain circuit 127 g, a third band pass filter 128 g, athird gain circuit 129 g, a fourth band pass filter 130 g, a fourth gaincircuit 131 g, and a power amplifier 132 g. Additionally, the eighthamplification path 108 includes a cascade of an LNA 121 h, a first bandpass filter 122 h, a power level control circuit 123 h, a first gaincircuit 124 h, a second band pass filter 125 h, an attenuator 126 h, athird band pass filter 128 h, a second gain circuit 127 h, a fourth bandpass filter 130 h, a third gain circuit 129 h, and a power amplifier 132h. Furthermore, the ninth amplification path 109 includes a cascade ofan LNA 121 i, a first band pass filter 122 i, a power level controlcircuit 123 i, a first gain circuit 124 i, an attenuator 126 i, a secondband pass filter 125 i, a second gain circuit 127 i, a third band passfilter 128 i, a third gain circuit 129 i, and a power amplifier 132 i.

The signal booster 100 of FIG. 4 is similar to the signal booster 50 ofFIG. 3, except that the signal booster 100 of FIG. 4 has been expandedto boost signals of five frequency bands and has been adapted to includeadditional filters, amplifiers and other circuitry, such as additionalcomponents in cascades associated with the amplification paths. In theillustrated configuration, each of the amplification paths 101-109includes an LNA, a power amplifier, an attenuator, and at least one bandpass filter. Additionally, as shown in FIG. 4, the connection betweenthe amplifications paths 101-109 and the antennas 5 a, 5 b through themultiplexers 112 a-112 d and the diplexers 111 a, 111 b can besymmetric. For example, in the illustrated configuration, each of theamplification paths 101-109 is coupled to the antennas 5 a, 5 b throughone multiplexer and one diplexer. Although configuring the signalbooster 100 to be symmetric can reduce noise, other implementations arepossible, including, for example, asymmetric configurations.

As shown in FIG. 4, a type, number, and/or order of the components in anamplification path can be selected to provide a desired amplificationcharacteristic for a particular frequency channel. For example, a numberof gain circuits can be selected to achieve a desired amplificationcharacteristic for the channel(s), while a number of pass band filterscan be selected to achieve a desired filtering characteristic for thechannel(s).

In certain configurations, the power level control circuits 123 a-123 iare included to adjust the gain of the first to ninth amplificationpaths 101-109, respectively. For example, in certain implementations,the power level control circuits 123 a-123 i can be used to adjust orlimit the gain when the power level of an associated amplification pathexceeds a maximum power threshold level. However, in otherconfigurations, one or more of the power level control circuits 123a-123 i can be omitted.

In the illustrated configuration, the signal booster 100 includes thethird amplification path 103, which has been configured to boost signalson both a Band XII downlink channel and a Band XIII downlink channel.The third amplification path 103 includes first to third band passfilters 122 c, 125 c, 128 c, each of which can have a passbandconfigured to pass signals on both the Band XII and Band XIII downlinkchannels while attenuating other frequency signals. Thus, in contrast tothe signal booster 50 of FIG. 3 which includes one band bass filter 62 bin the third amplification path 53, the signal booster 100 illustrates aconfiguration using three band pass filters 122 c, 125 c, 128 c in thethird amplification path 103. Using a plurality of band pass filters inan amplification path can increase a strength or degree of filtering.For example, cascading multiple band pass filters can be useful in highgain configurations, in which an amplification path has a relativelylarge amount of gain.

Although FIG. 4 illustrates one example of a signal booster inaccordance with the teachings herein, other configurations are possible.For example, the teachings herein are applicable to configurations inwhich the signal booster 100 boosts signals of more or fewer bands, or adifferent combination of bands.

FIGS. 5A-7B illustrate various views of a signal booster according tocertain embodiments. The signal booster 200 illustrates one embodimentof a signal booster including an integrated mobile station antenna andsignal booster circuitry.

FIG. 5A is a front view of the desktop signal booster 200. FIG. 5B is aright-side view of the signal booster 200. FIG. 5C is a left-side viewof the desktop signal booster 200. FIG. 5D is a top view of the desktopsignal booster 200. FIG. 5E is a bottom view of the desktop signalbooster 200. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the desktop signal booster200 with a cover removed. FIG. 7A is an interior front view of thedesktop signal booster 200. FIG. 7B is an interior rear view of thedesktop signal booster 200. FIG. 8 illustrates an example configurationof the desktop signal booster 200, according to certain embodiments.

Although the desktop signal booster 200 of FIGS. 5A-7B is describedherein with reference to particular components arranged in a particularconfiguration, in various embodiments, components herein can becombined, divided, arranged in a different order, or omitted, andadditional components can be added.

As shown in FIGS. 6-7B, a mobile station antenna 201 may be included aspart of and/or within a portion of the desktop signal booster 200. Themobile station antenna 201 may be rotated with respect to a base portion205 of the booster, in which the amplifier or signal booster circuitrymay be located. For example, a circuit board that includes the mobilestation antenna 201 is angled with respect to the sides of the housingand the sides of a circuit board (which may be located beneath a heatsink 203 and connected to the antenna 201 via a cable 209) that includesthe signal booster circuitry. In one embodiment, a circuit boardincluding the mobile station antenna 201 is substantially perpendicularwith respect to the base portion 205, which can aid in enhancingisolation between the mobile station antenna 201 and circuitry in thebase portion 205. The mobile station antenna 201 may also beadditionally or alternatively rotated with respect to a cable port 212for receiving RF signals and/or power, which can enhance isolation.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5B-5D, a portion of the housing 202 at leastpartially enclosing the antenna 201 may have a curved surface that mayhave an identical or substantially similar rotation as the antenna 201enabling the structure to match or mate with a portion of the structure205 encompassing the heatsink 203 while having a similar or identicalrotation as the mobile station antenna 201 at the top of the portion ofthe housing 202 encompassing the antenna 201. Although not illustratedin FIGS. 5A-7B, the desktop signal booster 200 can include a variety ofother components, including, for example, fasteners, connectors, oradhesives used to assemble the desktop signal booster 200. Although oneexample of a desktop signal booster has been described, the teachingsherein are applicable to other configurations of signal boosters. Forexample, the teachings herein are applicable to configurations using asingle PCB, and/or to configurations using a housing of a different formfactor.

In some embodiments, the desktop signal booster 200 can include anamplifier unit oriented along a first planar substrate (for example, aPCB). In some embodiments, an axis can be parallel to the first planarsubstrate. As illustrated in FIG. 5D and FIG. 6, the mobile stationantenna 201 may be oriented along a different axis than the amplifierunit, which may be located below the heatsink 203. The amplifier unitmay be oriented along the first axis identified in FIG. 5D and theantenna 201 may be oriented along the second axis identified in FIG. 5D.In one embodiment an angle between the first axis and second axis isgreater than 0 degrees but less than 90 degrees. Thus, in certainimplements, the first axis and the second axis are neither perpendicularnor parallel to one another.

As illustrated in FIG. 7A, the antenna 201 may include an antenna trace211. This antenna trace 211 may be a conductive material, such ascopper, that is attached to a non-conductive substrate 207.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example configuration of the desktop signalbooster 200 of FIG. 5A, according to certain embodiments. In theillustrated embodiment, the booster 200 is placed on a desktop within aroom, and the base station antenna 5 a is mounted on a rooftop. In otherembodiments, the base station antenna 5 a can be mounted elsewhere, suchas in or on a window as shown in the alternative embodiment of FIG. 8illustrated by dashed lines. In various embodiments, the base stationantenna can be an omnidirectional or directional antenna.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster system 300according to certain embodiments. The integrated signal booster system300 of FIG. 9 is similar to the integrated signal booster system of FIG.1G, except that the integrated signal booster system 300 of FIG. 9 omitsa combiner for combining cellular and WLAN signals in favor of includingone or more separate WLAN antennas 303 in the WLAN access point 302.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the mobile network according 310 tocertain embodiments. The integrated signal booster system 310 of FIG. 10is similar to the integrated signal booster system 300 of FIG. 9, exceptthat the integrated signal booster system 310 of FIG. 10 includes a WLANaccess point 312 that includes the cellular data modem 13.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of an integrated signal booster 400,according to certain embodiments. The integrated signal booster 400includes a cellular antenna 421, Wi-Fi AP circuitry 422, Wi-Fi router423, Wi-Fi antennas 424 a-424 d, and signal booster circuitry 425. Theillustrated embodiment supports dual band Wi-Fi in which each Wi-Fi bandoperates with two spatial streams to provide diversity. For example,Wi-Fi antennas 424 a and 424 b operate to transmit and receive two lowband Wi-Fi data streams to provide low band Wi-Fi MIMO. Additionally,Wi-Fi antennas 424 c and 424 d operate to transmit and receive two highband Wi-Fi data streams to provide high band Wi-Fi MIMO.

In certain implementations, the Wi-Fi AP circuitry 422 includes at leastone of a data exchange circuit, a power amplifier, a low noiseamplifier, or a switch. The switch may facilitate selection of one ormore of the Wi-Fi antennas 424 a-424 d based at least in part on aselected communication band.

The signal booster circuitry 425 receives a cellular uplink signal fromthe cellular antenna 421, and amplifies one or more uplink channels ofthe cellular uplink signal to generate a boosted cellular uplink signalfor transmission via an RF cable 6 a. The signal booster circuitry 425further receives a cellular downlink signal from the RF cable 6 a, andamplifies one or more downlink channels of the cellular downlink signalto generate a boosted cellular downlink signal for transmission via thecellular antenna 421.

The integrated signal booster 400 includes a WLAN access point forproviding wireless clients with access to a WLAN network, such as aWi-Fi network. The integrated signal booster 400 further includes acellular antenna for communicating with UE of a cellular network.

Although one embodiment of an integrated signal booster 400 is shown inFIG. 11, the teachings herein are applicable to integrated signalboosters and integrated units implemented in a wide variety of ways.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an integrated signal booster 500 with acover removed, according to certain embodiments. The integrated signalbooster 500 is similar to the integrated signal booster 500 of FIGS.5A-7B, except that the integrated signal booster 500 further includes anantenna board 463 positioned over the mobile station antenna 201, andWLAN AP circuitry and router circuitry on the circuit board beneath theheat sink 203. In some embodiments, a shielding structure may existbetween the WLAN AP circuitry and one or more antennas of the booster500. In some implementations, the heat sink 203 may serve as theshielding structure.

As shown in FIG. 12, the antenna board 463 is positioned over the mobilestation antenna 201, and includes Wi-Fi antennas 464 a-464 d. In certainimplementations, the Wi-Fi antennas 464 a-464 d provide differentwireless communication bands. For example, a low band Wi-Fi MIMO (suchas 2.4 GHz) and a high band Wi-Fi MIMO (such as 5.8 GHz) wirelesscommunication band may be provided.

In the illustrated embodiment, the circuit board of the mobile stationantenna 201 is substantially perpendicular to the booster's base (forinstance, to the heat sink 203 and the circuitry beneath the heat sink203). Additionally, the antenna board 456 of the Wi-Fi antennas 464a-464 d is substantially perpendicular to the circuit board of themobile station antenna 201. Implementing the integrated signal booster500 in this manner enhances isolation of the antennas from one anotherand between the antennas and circuitry beneath the heat sink 203.

Although one embodiment of integrated signal booster 500 is shown inFIG. 12, the teachings herein are applicable to integrated signalboosters and units implemented in a wide variety of ways. For instance,integrated signal boosters can be implemented with housings of differentshapes and/or sizes, with cellular and/or WLAN antennas of differentnumbers and/or types (for instance, omnidirectional, directional, andthe like), with different implementations of circuitry, with differentimplementations of wiring, and/or in a wide variety of other ways.

In the illustrated embodiment, the integrated signal booster 500receives a combined cable at a port 212. The combined cable may providea DC supply voltage, a wired network connection (such as an Internetconnection), and a connection for communicating RF signals with a basestation antenna.

CONCLUSION

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout thedescription and the claims, the words “comprise,” “comprising,” and thelike are to be construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to anexclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of“including, but not limited to.” The word “coupled”, as generally usedherein, refers to two or more elements that may be either directlyconnected, or connected by way of one or more intermediate elements.Likewise, the word “connected”, as generally used herein, refers to twoor more elements that may be either directly connected, or connected byway of one or more intermediate elements. Additionally, the words“herein,” “above,” “below,” and words of similar import, when used inthis application, shall refer to this application as a whole and not toany particular portions of this application. Where the context permits,words in the above Detailed Description using the singular or pluralnumber may also include the plural or singular number respectively. Theword “or” in reference to a list of two or more items, that word coversall of the following interpretations of the word: any of the items inthe list, all of the items in the list, and any combination of the itemsin the list.

Moreover, conditional language used herein, such as, among others,“can,” “could,” “might,” “can,” “e.g.,” “for example,” “such as” and thelike, unless specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understoodwithin the context as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements and/or states. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements and/or states are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or withoutauthor input or prompting, whether these features, elements and/orstates are included or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

The above detailed description of embodiments of the invention is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed above. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, theinvention are described above for illustrative purposes, variousequivalent modifications are possible within the scope of the invention,as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize. For example, whileprocesses or blocks are presented in a given order, alternativeembodiments may perform routines having steps, or employ systems havingblocks, in a different order, and some processes or blocks may bedeleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or modified. Each ofthese processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of differentways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as beingperformed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be performedin parallel, or may be performed at different times.

The teachings of the invention provided herein can be applied to othersystems, not only the system described above. The elements and acts ofthe various embodiments described above can be combined to providefurther embodiments.

While certain embodiments of the inventions have been described, theseembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of otherforms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in theform of the methods and systems described herein may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims andtheir equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications aswould fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A radio frequency signal booster comprising: a housing; a base station antenna port having a first axis along which signals are primarily conducted, the base station antenna port configured to be connected to a base station antenna configured to receive wireless communications signals on one or more downlink channels and to transmit wireless communications signals on one or more uplink channels; a mobile station antenna integrated with or located within the housing, the mobile station antenna having a second axis in which signals are primarily radiated, the second axis differing from the first axis, wherein the mobile station antenna is configured to transmit wireless communication signals on one or more downlink channels; an amplifier unit within the housing comprising: a downlink amplifier configured to amplify first signals on downlink channels for transmission through the mobile station antenna, the first signals received at the base station antenna port; and an uplink amplifier configured to amplify second signals on uplink channels for transmission through the base station antenna port, the second signals received at the mobile station antenna; and a composite cable configured to be connected to the base station antenna port, the composite cable comprising a direct current power line and a radio frequency cable, wherein the amplifier unit is connected to a power adapter via the composite cable.
 2. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, wherein the first axis is at an angle to the second axis that is not a multiple of 90 degrees.
 3. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, further comprising wireless access point circuitry located within the housing and configured to control wireless communication with one or more wireless devices.
 4. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 3, wherein the wireless access point circuitry comprises a data exchange circuit, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier, and a switch.
 5. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 3, further comprising a shielding structure positioned between the wireless access point circuitry and at least one of the base station antenna or the mobile station antenna.
 6. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 5, wherein the shielding structure is configured to operate as a heat sink.
 7. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, further comprising an integrated cellular modem within the housing that is operable to receive an Internet connection.
 8. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 1, further comprising a combiner within the housing, wherein the combiner is operable to combine a cellular signal and a wireless local area network signal.
 9. A radio frequency signal booster comprising: a housing; a base station antenna port having a first axis along which signals are primarily conducted, the base station antenna port configured to be connected to a base station antenna configured to receive wireless communications signals on one or more downlink channels and to transmit wireless communications signals on one or more uplink channels; a mobile station antenna integrated with or located within the housing, the mobile station antenna having a second axis in which signals are primarily radiated, the second axis differing from the first axis, wherein the mobile station antenna is configured to transmit wireless communication signals on one or more downlink channels; and an amplifier unit within the housing comprising: a downlink amplifier configured to amplify first signals on downlink channels for transmission through the mobile station antenna, the first signals received at the base station antenna port; and an uplink amplifier configured to amplify second signals on uplink channels for transmission through the base station antenna port, the second signals received at the mobile station antenna, wherein the amplifier unit is oriented along a first planar substrate, and the second axis is parallel to the first planar substrate.
 10. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 9, further comprising wireless local area network access point circuitry and a router in communication with the wireless local area network access point circuitry.
 11. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 9, wherein the mobile station antenna is substantially perpendicular to the amplifier unit, thereby increasing isolation between the mobile station antenna and the amplifier unit.
 12. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 9, wherein the first axis and the second axis are non-orthogonal to each other.
 13. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 9, further comprising wireless access point circuitry located within the housing, the wireless access point circuitry configured to control wireless communication with one or more wireless devices.
 14. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 9, further comprising a combiner within the housing, wherein the combiner is operable to combine a cellular signal and a wireless local area network signal.
 15. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 9, further comprising wireless access point circuitry and a heat sink configured to act as a shielding structure, the heat sink positioned between the wireless access point circuitry and at least one of the base station antenna or the mobile station antenna.
 16. A radio frequency signal booster comprising: a housing; a base station antenna port having a first axis along which signals are primarily conducted, the base station antenna port configured to be connected to a base station antenna configured to receive wireless communications signals on one or more downlink channels and to transmit wireless communications signals on one or more uplink channels; a mobile station antenna integrated with or located within the housing, the mobile station antenna having a second axis in which signals are primarily radiated, the second axis differing from the first axis, wherein the mobile station antenna is configured to transmit wireless communication signals on one or more downlink channels; an amplifier unit within the housing comprising: a downlink amplifier configured to amplify first signals on downlink channels for transmission through the mobile station antenna, the first signals received at the base station antenna port; and an uplink amplifier configured to amplify second signals on uplink channels for transmission through the base station antenna port, the second signals received at the mobile station antenna; and a heat sink configured to at least partially isolate radio signals between the mobile station antenna and the amplifier unit.
 17. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 16, wherein the mobile station antenna is substantially perpendicular to the amplifier unit, thereby increasing isolation between the mobile station antenna and the amplifier unit.
 18. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 16, wherein an angle between the first axis and the second axis is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees.
 19. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 16, further comprising a combiner within the housing, wherein the combiner is operable to combine a cellular signal and a wireless local area network signal.
 20. A radio frequency signal booster comprising: a housing; a base station antenna port having a first axis along which signals are primarily conducted, the base station antenna port configured to be connected to a base station antenna configured to receive wireless communications signals on one or more downlink channels and to transmit wireless communications signals on one or more uplink channels; a mobile station antenna integrated with or located within the housing, the mobile station antenna having a second axis in which signals are primarily radiated, the second axis differing from the first axis, wherein the mobile station antenna is configured to transmit wireless communication signals on one or more downlink channels; and an amplifier unit within the housing comprising: a downlink amplifier configured to amplify first signals on downlink channels for transmission through the mobile station antenna, the first signals received at the base station antenna port; and an uplink amplifier configured to amplify second signals on uplink channels for transmission through the base station antenna port, the second signals received at the mobile station antenna, wherein the mobile station antenna comprises an omnidirectional antenna, and wherein the omnidirectional antenna is configured to radiate primarily along a plane parallel to the first planar substrate.
 21. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 20, wherein the mobile station antenna is substantially perpendicular to the amplifier unit, thereby increasing isolation between the mobile station antenna and the amplifier unit.
 22. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 20, wherein an angle between the first axis and the second axis is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees.
 23. The radio frequency signal booster of claim 20, further comprising a combiner within the housing, wherein the combiner is operable to combine a cellular signal and a wireless local area network signal. 